During the NFL regular season the TSN 4-Downs ‘Hail Mary Starts of the Week’ will be based around off the radar players with upside in their weekend matchup. The player must be owned in less than 50% of TSN/ESPN fantasy leagues, making them more likely to be available on your league’s waiver wire.

The wild 2016 NFL regular season is in the books and what a year it was for fantasy football. Injuries to high draft picks and surprise stars emerging kept owners guessing all the way to last weekend’s finale.

Consistently finding those waiver wire gems is vital for league triumph, and hopefully TSN 4-Downs helped you out along the way. Below I’ll be handing out fantasy awards as well as some of my ‘Hail Mary Starts’ hits and misses from this past season. Let's rip open the envelope and see what's inside.

 

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Fantasy MVP: RB - Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

The former Ohio State Buckeye was my choice as a first overall selection in fantasy drafts and certainly lived up to the hype. It’s always risky to rely on a rookie running back because of notable inconsistencies from recent high profile examples such as Melvin Gordon (2015) and Derrick Henry in their first years.

Behind that all-world Dallas offensive line, Ezekiel Elliott blew expectations out of the water. A true three-down back, Elliott combined for 1,994-yards and an incredible 16 touchdowns. He’s a dream starter in any fantasy format and is an obvious untouchable in keeper leagues.

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Fantasy Comeback Player of the Year: RB - DeMarco Murray, Tennessee Titans

Sticking with running backs, DeMarco Murray signed with the Titans looking for a chance to resurrect his career after a subpar stint in Philadelphia.

At 28-years old, questions surfaced about whether he had peaked. Tennessee drafting Alabama stud rusher Derrick Henry 45th overall led many to believe that it was only a matter of time until the rookie would force the veteran to the sideline.

Well Murray never allowed that to happen as he played in all 16 games, rushed for 1,287-yards, averaged 4.4 yards-per-carry and totalled 12 combined TDs. The Las Vegas-native has reestablished himself as a premier RB1, but it will be worth tracking if offseason surgery is needed for a torn plantar plate in his right foot.

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Fantasy Draft Dud of 2016: TE - Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns

I don't fully blame poor Gary here. How successful was he expected to be with six different quarterbacks throughout the Browns’ wretched 1-15 campaign? It was next to impossible to gain any sort of rhythm in one of the league’s lowest producing offenses.

However, that doesn’t bring fantasy owners who drafted Barnidge high any solace. From a Pro Bowl 2015 to only a pair of touchdowns this year, ‘’Big Play Gar’’ is without a doubt one of the most disappointing draft busts of the season.

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Biggest Fantasy Surprise of 2016: QB - Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Anyone telling you they saw the outbreak of Dak Prescott coming is a flat out liar. The fourth-round selection was generally seen as a project with upside that would sit behind Tony Romo.

Careers are made by seizing the moment. When Romo went down, the Cowboys rolled the dice with Prescott and he delivered in a huge way for his team and eventual fantasy owners alike.

A MVP candidate running back in Ezekiel Elliott and arguably the NFL’s best O-Line definitely assisted in Prescott’s incredible output. What impressed me though was how the Mississippi State alum consistently improved and how he produced under 19 fantasy points only three times (excluding last Sunday where he was pulled early).

He finished the season anked sixth amongst fantasy quarterbacks, outperforming such names as Matthew Stafford, Philip Rivers and Derek Carr.

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‘Hail Mary Start’ Pick of the Year: WR - Tyrell Williams, San Diego Chargers

I’ve said since I started writing these pieces in September that the key formula to a high producing, under the radar ‘Hail Mary Start’ is opportunity + opponent = success.

Tyrell Williams took full advantage when San Diego star WR Keenan Allen was lost for the year with a torn ACL. A career altering opportunity presented itself for Williams similar to how Allen rose to glory after Malcom Floyd suffered a neck injury in 2013.

The undrafted sophomore was my Week 2 ‘Hail Mary Start’ and at the time was owned in just 5% of TSN/ESPN pools.

Those savvy enough to recognize the potential of a 6’4’’ speedster that possesses great hands in a pass heavy offense grabbed arguably the best wide receiver waiver add of the season. Williams went for over 1,000 receiving yards and inhaled seven touchdown passes.

Honourable Mention: WR - Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

Adams was generally available in 79% of TSN and Yahoo! Leagues in Week 7 when he made the ‘Hail Mary Start’ list and went on to deliver 38.20 points in PPR.

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Worse ‘Hail Mary Start’ Whiff of 2016: WR - Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans

Kendall Wright appeared primed to morph back into his 2013/2014 self where he averaged 897-yards throught the air and four scores going into San Diego on Nov. 6.

Chemistry between quarterback Marcus Mariota and Wright was building as he was coming off of 133 and 84 yard efforts with a couple of touchdowns in two of his last three games. The arrow was pointing up against a weak Chargers defense and he was owned in under 10% of pools.

It looked like a steal at the time, but the Titans 2012 first round choice completely fell off a cliff. Wright entered the end zone just once more and was a healthy scratch in Week 14 and 17.

Thank you to all the readers of this article and TSN 4-Downs listeners. Good luck to all in 2017!

Listen to "TSN 4-Downs" on TSN 1050 and TSN 1150 every Saturday at 11am with host Andy McNamara. Tweet Andy your fantasy football questions to @TSN4Downs and @AndyMc81. Email: andy.mcnamara@bellmedia.ca